


A Countenance More in Sorrow than in Anger

by Cassplay



Series: Red Lantern Iris [1]
Category: Green Lantern (Comics), Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Red Lanterns (Comics)
Genre: Anger Management, Angst and Tragedy, Female Harry Potter, Gen, Homecoming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-13 16:49:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18473065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cassplay/pseuds/Cassplay
Summary: During the fight at the ministry, Iris Potter's anger at losing Sirius gains the attention of a Red Lantern Ring.Five years later, she is granted leave.





	A Countenance More in Sorrow than in Anger

Iris knew that the red ring did far more harm than good. She had known that would be the case when it judged her worthy to ‘possess it’. She knew what it had meant by that. She just hadn’t cared.

It wasn’t that she regretted it exactly, but she knew if she had actually taken the time to think about what It was offering, she would have refused. Iris had asked some of the others about when they bonded with their rings and gotten many similar answers. They were too angry to not accept right away.

“Of course, that’s probably the whole point of it.” Razer growled when she asked him.

“Yeah.” She growled in agreement. Most of their conversations were held in growls. It was hard not to when their rings kept rage bubbling inside them.

Atrocitus ran a tight ship, and leave was a rare luxury for a Red Lantern. Especially for matters that in no way advanced the Corps’ agenda. Although it would probably be more accurate to say ‘his agenda’. But Iris had shown some initiative, and he appreciated that.

“Good luck.” Razer said as she went to leave.

Iris’ eyes flicked to him, suspicious.

“What?” He asked, “It’s been five years; you’re gonna need it.”

She barely restrained herself from lashing out, fastening her hand around his throat for the implication that her friends wouldn’t understand. But part of her anger, as always, was for herself. They would have trouble understanding, she would need that luck.

“Screw you, asshole.” Iris said, grinning. She turned and walked up the ramp to her ship. The door closed behind her and she sat down in the pilot’s seat to program in her flight path.

Earth, the UK, Ottery St. Catchpole. Taking care to avoid Green Lantern patrol routes wherever possible.

 

Everything went wrong in her fifth year at Hogwarts. Voldemort was back and no one believed her, the Ministry and the Prophet were smearing her name wherever they could, and not even her previous year’s ostracization in the Triwizard tournament could compare to this year’s. Getting hexed became a daily occurrence. She couldn’t fight back on pain of more detentions with Umbridge and her blood quill.

Umbridge’s lessons she learned to deal with, barely. But her opaque malice was more than Iris could stand. Hermione and Ron had convinced her to form a defence training club. It didn’t last a month before some of the boys grew tired of being showed up by her and ran to Umbridge.

Where was Dumbledore in all of this? Keeping secrets, avoiding her, letting her stew in her growing anger. Then he just left. He hadn’t really cared about her; she was just an annoyance. At least that’s what her internal anxieties said. She stopped trying to convince them they were wrong when Umbridge attacked Hagrid and McGonagall at midnight during her astronomy exam.

Then came the last straw. The Ministry. The five others she had led there had been put out of the fight by Death Eaters, the prophecy broke on the hill up to the veil, and then the Order appeared. Six whole hours after she had warned Snape that Sirius had been kidnapped in the department of Mysteries. He had done it on purpose, she knew. He must have danced for joy when he received the news about what happened to Sirius.

Iris had managed to break away from Lupin’s arms and pursued Bellatrix up to the Ministry Atrium. Voldemort had appeared and taunted her, saying that she could kill Bellatrix if she wanted to.

Neither of them could have predicted happened next. As members of the Wizarding world, by upbringing and by short-sighted choice, they had never considered that Earth was not alone in the universe.

“ **Iris Potter,** ” the Red Ring flew down in front of her. “ **You have great rage in your heart**.” She was only half paying attention, far too focussed on wanting the two in front of her suffer. “ **You belong to the Red Lantern Corps**.”

Iris needed them to hurt, hurt as she had; but she stood no chance against them without an edge, that was enough reason to accept.

She grabbed the ring and fire flowed through her veins. She coughed up a lungfull of fiery blood and it sizzled on the black marble floor. The anger overflowed within her and she flew directly at the woman responsible for the death of the only family she had left.

Bellatrix had seemed puzzled at the red light, but her eyes widened with shock as the girl-who-lived charged through her. Blood splattered against the fountain in the middle of the Atrium.

Voldemort was quicker to react. He sent a pair of killing curses at her. Iris could feel the green light closing in on her and dodged. She turned, and the last thing Voldemort saw before he experienced a similar fate to his right hand was a pair of eyes that now mirrored his own.

“ **Your vengeance is fulfilled, Iris Potter**.” The ring said. “ **You are summoned to Ysmault**.”

 

She arrived a few kilometres outside of the village near the Burrow. It was easy to find her ship if you knew what to look for. Fortunately, she hadn’t made a ruckus on re-entry, so it was unlikely anyone who did know how to find her ship would be looking for it.

Iris stole a shirt and pair of jeans to cover her suit. That would just lead to awkward questions before she was ready for them. Then she set off in the direction of the Burrow.

Very little had changed, chickens were still scratching around the yard, the house looked crooked and kept up with magic, but there was a new floor. By her estimation it was Sunday. Which probably meant Sunday lunch would be soon.

“Merlin’s balls!” Came a voice from inside the house. “It’s Iris!”

“Ronald, language!” Said the voice of Mrs Weasley. “And what do you mean?”

“I mean she’s walking up the driveway!” Said the voice of Ron. It had changed significantly since the Ministry, it was deeper. It appeared Ron had managed to finish puberty while she was away.

The door flew open when she was just a few meters away and three people ran out. Ron taller than ever, Ginny had grown into a seeker’s build, and Hermione’s hair was still as bushy as ever. She stopped, and they slowed their approach. Was this a mistake? It still probably wasn’t too late to check out that party planet Bleez suggested.

No. They had seen her already.

“Hi.” iris said.

“Iris?” Hermione asked, “You’re alive?”

“Yeah.” She said, some hoarseness creeping into her voice. “I’m sorry I couldn’t come back sooner.”

“We thought you were gone.” Ginny said.

“Iris Potter!” Mrs Weasley yelled as she followed her children and Hermione out the door. “Where on earth have you been? We looked everywhere!”

“It’s a long story,” she said. “Can I come in?”

“Of course, dear.” Mrs Weasley motioned for them to all head inside, but her son stopped them.

“Wait, how do we know you’re real?” Ron asked. Iris’s anger flared momentarily before she managed to reign it in. How could she not be Iris? But she knew that he was right, they should at least check. “On the train to Hogwarts in our first year, why did Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle leave?”

“Couldn’t have chosen one I was likely to remember after ten years?” Iris growled. She readjusted her tone to a more normal, if hoarse one. “But as it happens; Scabbers, or Pettigrew, bit one of his cronies.”

“Yep, that’s Iris.” He grinned. “Sorry about that, mate.”

“I won’t criticise you for getting smarter,” she said. “But if I was a fake sent by Pettigrew or Malfoy or whoever I might have known that, or been in contact with someone who did.” She saw them exchange looks.

“We’ve got some things to catch you up on too.” Hermione said.

 

“Iris, that was incredibly reckless!” Hermione scolded her for taking the ring.

“I know that now, Hermione.” Iris replied. “Turns out the ring came at a price.”

“You can only maintain your human form once every five years?” One of the twins said in faux-shock. People had begun to accumulate for Sunday Lunch as the Burrow.

“No, I was drafted into the Red Lantern Corps.” Iris said, then began to explain herself. She held up her hand and the ring in question. “The Lantern Corps gain their abilities from the emotional spectrum: rage, greed, fear, will, hope, compassion, and love. They seek out wielders who most powerfully embody the necessary emotion.”

“Iris?” Hermione began, and she knew what the question would be before she asked it. “Which-“

“Oh, my word, she is here!” Percy Weasley said as he strolled into the Burrow. “I though you two were pulling my leg.”

“Iris?” Someone asked. She couldn’t tell who, because she was trembling with anger. How dare he show his face here again? He had been part of Umbridge’s rule over Hogwarts, he had betrayed his whole family, he had gotten Sirius-.

“What. Is. He. Doing. Here?” She said through gritted teeth, barely restraining herself from lunging at the ministry stooge right then and there.

There was an awkward silence until Mr Weasley spoke.

“We appreciate your concern Iris, but we have forgiven Percy long ago.” He said. “And err, you’re on fire.”

“Oh,” she said, finally noticing the sparks that had caught on her sleeve closest to the ring. She patted them away and breathed slowly, trying to think of other things. “Sorry, it might be safer if he tries his best to make himself as little of a disturbance as possible.”

“Iris, that anger is not healthy.” Hermione said.

“You don’t know the half of it.” Iris said. “I can’t take it off, otherwise I lose my abilities. Which include keeping my blood in existence.”

“What on earth-?” Ron asked incredulously, but Iris cut him off.

“No.”

“No what?”

“It’s not from Earth.” Iris said. “After I... finished with Bellatrix and Voldemort I was transported to another planet, called Ysmault.”

“Bloody hell!” Ginny said.

“That just about describes it,” Iris said. “It used to be a political prison world until Atrocitus overthrew it and founded the Red Lantern Corps.”

“Wait, what do you mean that describes it?” Hermione asked.

“Lakes of boiling blood, it’s rocky and hot, a cat is there.” Iris allowed herself a joke. Then snapped back to seriousness. “But seriously, Dex-Starr is bad news.”

“And this Atrocitus?” Ron prompted.

“He doesn’t like giving time off.” She said. “That’s why I could only come back now.” There was silence for a few seconds before Ginny asked how long she would be able to stay. “Just a week or so.”

As if on cue her ring beeped, indicating and incoming message.

“I need to take this.” She said, and held the ring in front of her. A red screen projected from it, the signal tuning to the incoming call. “This is Iris, go ahead.”

“Iris, this is Bleez.” The blue-skinned Red Lantern appeared on the other end of the call. “You’re currently on leave in sector 2814, the Planet Earth, correct?”

“Correct.” She said.

“We’ve detected Green Lantern activity in the planet’s northern hemisphere.” Bleez said. “Check it out when you can.”

“Yes, commander.” She said, shut off the message and added in a growl. “It’s Earth, there’s always Green Lantern activity here.” She caught Hermione sending a dark look her way and clenched her jaw. She waited to calm down a bit before asking “So what’s happened here since... since Sirius died?”

“Well, Dumbledore showed up just after you left.” Ron said, not catching the look. “You really did a number on you-know-who, then the ministry showed up and was forced to admit that he was alive, well, _was_ alive.”

“After that a bunch of Death Eaters got caught, and we all got out safe.” Ginny said.

“I’m glad.” Iris said.

“Since then we’ve basically been trying to find-“ Hermione started.

“Perhaps I would be able to explain better?” The voice of Dumbledore said from the door.

Iris resisted the urge to lunge at this man as well. He walked into the room and sat down.

“I’m very sorry I’m late, Molly. I was talking to a friend of mine.” He said to Mrs Weasley. Then he turned to face Iris. “So, you’re back.”

“Yes.” She hissed.

His eyes twinkled.

“You seem rather angry.” Dumbledore said.

“Do I? Hadn’t noticed.” Iris replied.

“Don’t you think would be better to let go of it?” He said. “It certainly isn’t doing your vocal chords any favours.”

“As I told everyone else here, I can’t.” She said. “And I would advise against baiting me.”

“Very well then. I believe that Lord Voldemort made a series of magical artefacts, called Horcruxes, in which he stored parts of his soul. Meaning that-“

“While they exist, he can’t die.” She finished for him. “I’ve heard of the concept.”

“We found five of them.” Ron said.

“Great, how many are there?”

“Seven were made, I believe.” Dumbledore said. “And one was already destroyed before I realised what it was.”

“Tom Riddle’s Diary.” Ginny supplied.

“And the last one?” Iris asked.

“Dunno.” Ron said.

“Actually, Mr Weasley, I have known where the last Horcruxes was for some time.” Dumbledore said. He frowned. “Your scar, Iris.”

Iris stood up and stormed out into the yard.

“Iris!” Someone called after her, but she kept going until she reached a patch of earth. “Don’t go!” But she wasn’t leaving.

Iris stamped the scar with her ring and screamed. The corrosive powers of a Red Lantern ring were never intended to harm the wearer. Luckily, Voldemort was not the wearer.

Several agonising seconds later she felt a pressure lift. She stopped melting her forehead and began to heal it. Iris looked up, everything back in order, and saw the rest of them in the doorway.

“You destroyed it...” Ron said, open mouthed.

“Not something I’d expect from a Red Lantern.” Said a voice from behind her.

“This is the girl you were worried about, Albus?” Said a distinctively Brit voice. “Certainly seems like a badass.”

Iris turned and saw a blond guy in a trench coat, and...

“Simon Baz.” She said, looking at the man clad in the suit of a Green Lantern. “I’m here on personal business, no need to make this ground bloodier than it already is.”

“Constantine, seal the area around the yard.” Simon said.

“Stuff like that takes prep time, mate.” The blond replied. Then paused for a beat. “She did say she was here on personal business, shouldn’t you just back down for this one?”

“John, you have no idea who this is, do you? How she earned this leave?” The Lantern asked the crowd at large. “She’s the butcher of Omicron Seti IV.”

“Iris? Hermione asked from far away.

Iris couldn’t look back at her; this was all going wrong.

“And pray tell, what was Omicron Seti IV?” She growled at the Green man. “We’re all waiting to hear why anyone would miss that torture facility.”

“That wasn’t your call to make, Red Lantern.”

“Then who’s was it? Why were the guards and orderlies still breathing when I arrived?” She said. “Why was the first I heard of it when their anger called out to me, and not in galactic news bulletins?”

“Orders are to take you in.” He said, grimacing slightly to himself.

“This is starting to look kinda morally sus’, so count me out Baz.” Constantine said, raising his hands and walking backwards.

“Orders that you will fail.” Iris said. She flared energy from her ring and exploded her outer clothing, revealing her Red suit underneath and constructing a protective helmet. She gathered energy towards her legs, ready to leap at him.

Crack, crack, crack.

“What in the name of-?” Ron asked no one in particular as three people in Death Eater robes appeared in the middle of the driveway between the two Lanterns.

“What on earth is all this?” Said the voice of one of the Death Eaters.

“Stupefy!” Cried three voices from behind Iris. Evidently someone could cast silently, as four red bolts hit the robed figures. They hit the ground.

“Constantine?” Simon asked. The trench coat wearing man walked up to the stunned figures and threw back their hoods.

“Death Eaters.” He said, as Dumbledore walked over as well.

“I recognise Mister Macnair.” Dumbledore Said. “Evidently history has repeated itself. Lord Voldemort has returned, and sought to strike the Weasley family during Sunday luncheon. What a busy household today.”

“Constantine?” Simon asked again, keeping an eye on her.

“Followers of an extremely powerful and nigh immortal dark lord over here.” Constantine snapped. “Basically magic Nazis.”

“Part of the reason I was out here to begin with.” Iris said. Letting the energy in her legs dissipate somewhat. “When their leader tried to kill me as an infant, a piece of his soul latched onto me, and as soon as I found out... I destroyed it.”

“So, what you’re saying is there’s bigger fish to fry?” Simon asked Constantine, who nodded, and turned back to Iris. “Truce? Temporarily at least.”

“Fine.” She spat, letting her helmet disappear.

She heard footsteps behind her.

“Iris.” Hermione asked from behind her. Iris ignored her and spoke to Simon.

“How did you find me, anyway?”

“I’m afraid that’s my fault, Iris.” Dumbledore said. “I was at a meeting with John when I was notified that you had returned by some instruments of mine.”

“I got curious if there might be an explanation with the League as to where you had been the last five years.” Constantine continued.

“And one of the Greenies responded, great.” Iris said sarcastically.

“Iris Potter, you will stop ignoring me this instant!” Hermione yelled from behind her. All four of the people clustered around the Death Eaters turned. “I can’t believe you! You disappear for five years with no warning, and then we have to find out that you murdered a bunch of people, not to mention you’re an intergalactic criminal.”

Iris turned away, and muttered “Don’t need to justify myself to you.” She had to do that stuff because it was right, to survive, to finally come home. She continued, venom creeping into her voice. “And I told you, I can’t exactly quit; not unless Greenie’s people have changed their official stance on that. Even if I could find some way to survive the de-bonding, it’s a capture-on-sight order for former Red Lanterns.”

“Then run away, stop doing these things.” Ginny said from behind her. “Hide.”

“I can’t. The Rings are powered by a central battery.” This was all going wrong. She didn’t want them to know about these things. All because that Green Lantern showed up. No, before then. Dumbledore was the reason she had gotten the ring in the first place, and he’s the reason that Baz was here today.

“Iris, mate?” Ron asked tentatively.

“This was a mistake, coming here. I’m just going to get angrier because some people are squeamish.” She said, and strode over to the Death Eaters. She pushed Dumbledore out the way, none too gently. And grabbed one of their wands. She drew back one of the sleeves and pressed the skull and snake there with the wand. “Let’s finish this quickly, after all I’m on vacation.”

“Iris, do you know what you have done?” Dumbledore asked, rather shocked.

“Of course I do.” She spat, then she turned to Green Lantern. “If you stop me from killing them, I will not return to Ysmault alone.”

“I won’t stop you killing them,” Baz said. “Would you allow me to fight alongside you?”

“Sure, just don’t get in my way, Greenie.” She said. Then looked over her shoulder at the trio. “If you’re going to stand there ogling me like a monster, draw your wands at least.” The three seemed to snap to attention, and they were soon joined by several other fighting fit Weasleys.

“Woulda been great if you could give us some warning, luv.” Said Constantine as he began writing bloody sigils onto his arm.

There was a tense silence.

And then.

Crack.

Dong.

Baz had struck the incoming Death Eater over the head with a frypan of green light.

“I had him!” She growled. He looked amused. Fine, she’ll show him, she’ll show them all what a Red Lantern could do.

 

**_With blood and rage of crimson red,_ **

**_Ripped from a corpse so freshly dead,_ **

**_Together with our hellish hate,_ **

**_We'll burn you all—That is your fate!_ **

 

Her helmet appeared and she took off towards another newly arrived Death Eater.

 

The Death Eaters were being taken down quickly, clearly no match against 2 Lanterns, Dumbledore, John Constantine, and the Weasley guests. She grabbed Pettigrew by the throat and spewed fiery blood at his face. Where it touched the ground, small fires started.

Finally, he appeared. Voldemort, in his third body.

Unfortunately for him, he arrived too late.

“What is happening here?” He shouted, then he caught sight of the two colourful fighters. “And who are you?”

“I’m surprised you don’t recognise me.” Iris said, and dissipated her helmet once again. “Hopefully third time is the charm.”

“You!”

“Me.”

“Iris, stand down.” Baz said. She turned to him incredulously.

“What?”

“Stand down, I’ll take him in to custody.”

“Why would I let you do that?” She asked.

“What you’re doing is revenge, not justice.”

“Avada Kedavra.” Voldemort took the chance to cast rather than escape. Iris could have dodged it easily; she was actually paying attention to the threat. But this was heading for Simon Baz.

Iris dived, tackling the Green Lantern around his hips and knocking him over, out of the path of the spell.

She dimly heard Dumbledore and Constantine chanting in Latin while she stood up from her position on top of Baz. Iris turned to see Lord Voldemort tied to a conjured pillar with glowing orange chains.

“What should we do with him?” Constantine asked.

“We finish this.” Iris said. This chapter of her life was not going to return again. She strode over to Voldemort, put her ring against his forehead, and liquefied him.

“Iris, no!” Dumbledore yelled.

“Are you really going to admonish me for killing him of all people?” She asked.

“He should have stood trial.” Baz said, picking himself up.

“Where? In the half-empty wizengamot?” She laughed. “I know this world better than you, Baz. His biggest supporters controlled the government since the first time he gained power.”

“Then we’ll take him to-“

“Oa? They’d never reach his case before the witnesses are dead,” she scoffed. “Besides, you know how things like this go, he’d probably escape and be drafted by Sinestro.”

“You’re right.” Simon Baz admitted. “But that doesn’t make killing him right?”

“It was what someone would’ve had to do anyway, isn’t that right, Dumbledore?”

“This is what the prophecy foretold, of sorts.” He said. There was a silence.

“Iris?” Ron asked tentatively.

“What?” She rounded on him.

“You’ve changed.”

She was speechless. She had changed? What sort of a thing to say was that? Of course she had fucking changed. How couldn’t she? She had spent the last 5 years fighting near nonstop. Even if she had to grow to believe in the cause doesn’t mean it wasn’t right, punishing those who preyed upon the weak. What had he been doing these past years? A treasure hunt? Finishing school?

She gritted her teeth. What annoyed her most wasn’t that this was happening, this ‘no chance of reconnecting after five years away’.

“Razer was right. Bleez was right.” She growled, not bothering to hold an even semi-polite tone anymore. “I should never have come back here.” It would just be better if she left.

She lifted off. Only to find a green brick wall in her way. 

“You don’t want to do this, Baz.” She growled, “Especially not after what you’ve done here today.”

It was the Green Lantern’s turn to grit teeth, but he relented. The bricks vanished.

“Only because I owe you one for saving my life just now.” He said. 

“Don’t pretend this makes us even.” She said, and launched into the air, over to the other side of Ottery St. Catchpole. She didn’t turn around. She couldn’t.

She opened the ship as she approached. Closed it before she was up the ramp, and had it on autopilot for Ysmault before she let the tears fall.

She touched down on some remote moon between Earth and… home. She had some anger to work out.


End file.
